Children learn best through meaningful play in a positive, supportive and nurturing environment.  Young children are active learners and play is their work! Through the use of learning centers, children are provided with opportunities to participate in play activities which encourage active involvement, promote development and accomplish curriculum goals and objectives. 

Listed below are some examples of what children are learning and developing while at centers and at play:

BLOCK CENTER

• Hand-eye coordination 
• Spatial awareness 
• Fine motor skills(carrying small blocks, placing or stacking blocks) 
• Gross motor skills(lifting large blocks, using whole body, stacking and reaching) 
• Problem solving and cooperation skills 
• Learn about balance and stability 
• Math skills: measurement tasks(length, area, weight), sorting, classifying, shapes, number and patterns

ART CENTER 

• Fine motor skills(cutting, pasting, painting, manipulating tools) 
• Creativity and self expression 
• Hand-eye coordination skills 
• Sensory awareness 
• Planning skills; trial and error 
• Explore and experiment with materials, mediums, tools, color, design and texture 
• Problem solving skills

WRITING CENTER 

• The importance and function of the written language 
• Fine motor skills 
• Communicate ideas to others 
• Create opportunities to use writing for a purpose 
• Experiment with a variety of writing tools and materials

DRAMATIC PLAY CENTER 

• Imagination and creativity 
• Role playing, re-enacting life situations 
• Social interaction and cooperation 
• Explore various roles in the world around them, real and fantasy 
• Language skills 
• Self help skills( buttoning, snapping, or zipping dress-up clothes and dressing dolls)

LISTENING CENTER 

• Practice following a story in a book 
• Match story to illustrations 
• Follows directions: turning pages at appropriate time 
• Strengthen listening skills 
• Use technology independently 
• Encourage emergent reading: match spoken word with words in print and illustrations

SCIENCE CENTER 

• Become familiar with scientific method and science vocabulary 
• Strengthen observational skills 
• Curiosity and questioning skills 
• Make predictions 
• Develop a respect for nature and living things 
• Exploration and investigation skills using all of the senses 
• Organize thoughts by classifying and comparing

SENSORY & DISCOVERY TABLE 

• Sensory exploration and experimentation skills 
• Comparison, measurement and problem solving skills 
• Explore properties of sand, water and other materials 
• Experiment with cause and effect 
• Cooperative play, sharing materials 
• Fine motor skills

LIBRARY CENTER 

• An interest and excitement about books 
• Emergent reading through familiar books and predictable text 
• How to hold a book and directionality: left to right and top to bottom 
• Explore quality literature, various authors, illustrators and genres 
• Retell and dramatize stories 
• Increase vocabulary and comprehension

COMPUTER CENTER 

• Fine motor controls with manipulation of keyboard and mouse 
• Use technology independently 
• Improve visual skills and eye hand coordination 
• Increase letter and number recognition and early reading skills through the use of age appropriate software 
• Cooperative learning skills 
• Classifying, sorting, patterning, sequencing and cause and effect skills

OUTSIDE PLAY 

• Gross motor skills: climbing, running, balancing, jumping etc. 
• Physical coordination 
• Cooperative play 
• Social interaction 
• Problem solving

A variety of teaching strategies which support all types of learning is utilized.  Learning opportunities in large group, small group, and individual settings support each child’s development through a balance of structured and free choice activities. 

Below is an example of an average day: 

• Arrival 
• Circle time 
• Learning Centers/Free choice 
• Clean up and Calendar 
• Snack 
• Outside play 
• Story time/Dismissal for half day students 
• Centers 
• Clean up, prepare for lunch 
• Lunch 
• Resting Time 
• Clean up/Books 
• Circle time: songs, games etc. 
• Outside play 
• Story time/ Dismissal